Rice stays away from political issues in Claremont Colleges speech

CLAREMONT - Hundreds of students braved an autumn chill Wednesday night for the chance to hear former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speak at Ducey Gymnasium at Claremont McKenna College.

Prior to her speech, Rice cheerfully posed for photos with students who waited several minutes for that opportunity.

Before Rice began her speech, a student who was with a friend said curiosity brought her out to here the former secretary of state.

"I came to hear Condoleezza Rice's point of view on different topics," said freshman Elena Segarra.

Several protestors were kept behind a fence in the area outside the gymnasium.

Segarra preferred not to comment on the protestors' activities.

Rice was led to the podium around 6:10 p.m. and, after a short introduction, she touched on subjects such as Sept. 11, 2001, her educational background and her upbringing in Alabama.

Rice mostly stayed away from political topics and instead focused on urging students to become well-rounded members of society who enrich their community.

The atmosphere outside among protestors and students was peaceful, but, in some cases, heated.

During the dialogue portion of the protest, one student referred to Rice as a war criminal for her part in the Iraq War.

"She is literally inside tooting her own horn," the woman said. "I think she needs to be in jail. Not only is she not in jail, but you are paying her."

Vincent Giannotti, a senior and student at Pitzer scollege, said it took about three weeks to organize the day's activities, which included teach-ins led by professors, protests and the dialogue session where students of differing views could debate the value of having Rice on campus.

Gianotti mentioned the fence and guards that separated the protestors from the gym.

"These fences were entirely unnecessary for a peaceful protest in my opinion," he said.